Helen Daughtrey

Hi, I'm Helen!
...daydreamer, cheerful and convinced that a good book can change everything!

Do you want to know why?

By the end of 2019, I could no longer ignore the signs. I had noticed for a long time that I wasn't feeling well, mentally and physically. But out of fear of taking a break, I gradually maneuvered myself into burnout and left my job on medical advice. The impending unemployment triggered even more fears in me: my thoughts were racing and I could no longer calm down inside at all. At the same time, I felt physically incredibly weak. I just dragged myself from one day to the next - until one day I went to my shelf and picked out a book that spoke to me spontaneously, went to bed with it and completely lost myself in it for the next few hours.

Finally the carousel of thoughts in my head stopped.

I recovered by reading (and being forced to rest) in the weeks and months that followed. For the first time in years, I read a lot again and unconsciously kept reaching for books in which women played an important role (for me). I often found myself in parts of the stories; sometimes the life stories were completely contrary to what I had previously experienced. In any case, they made me confront myself, my past and my fears. And soon I noticed:

I wanted to talk to other women about it.

This is how Mädels, die lesen. (Girls Who Read) was created at the end of January 2020. – and this year we celebrated our 4th anniversary!